Texas Style Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket

I had no idea. Before making this recipe, and testing it a couple of times for you – I just had no clue. We really didn’t know that it is possible to cook a beef brisket to the point of such succulence, such total falling-apart-ness (ahem) that it rivals your favorite BBQ joint. I just … I just didn’t know. But this recipe for a VERY EASY Texas Style Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket has opened my eyes to the beautiful simplicity of oven-roasting a big beef brisket right at home.

I kept these photos real and un-messed with. No styling, fussing or faffing around – because this is BBQ stuff we’re dealing with here, and that would feel sort of un-holy.

Can you make brisket in an oven?

Now, we may not have the smokiness of a long, low and slow smoker method, like they use at real-deal barbecue spots (in Texas!), but we can create an incredibly tasty rub, filled with smoky spice, to help build a flavorful crust on our beef and seal in all of the juices.

Speaking of juices, we’ll baste and drip and drizzle the cooked brisket with those cooking juices after slicing it. Or, you could chop it, or tear it, or … you could practically just ask it politely to fall apart, tender thing that it is. I’ll share a quick and simple tangy BBQ sauce recipe as well, that you may or may not want to use. You could just use your favorite bottled sauce and call it good. Because it is. Keeping things pared down and as simple as possible is sort of the whole point to MKL. This is about as simple and straightforward as one-pan recipes get.

What You’ll Need to make this Texas Style Oven-Roasted Brisket

The list of ingredients for this recipe is largely populated by spices. Like, a LOT of them. Recipes like this are fantastic ways to use of things we’ve got lurking in the dark depths of our spice drawers/racks/cabinets. Which, we always love right?

Oven-Roasted Brisket INGREDIENTS:

• 4 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 teaspoon dark cocoa powder
• 1 cup beef stock

The Spice is Right

Speaking of the spices, it’s totally fine by me if you’d like to play around with the mix I’ve laid out here. It’s not baking – the recipe won’t break if you forget to add the paprika, or if you’d prefer to leave out the onion powder. That said, it’s also worth noting that each spice in this lovely rub does serve a distinct purpose. Like a member of a well-tuned band, each thing on my brisket spices list plays an important part. They all combine into one very harmonious and joyful creation in the end.

Read on below for some brief explanations as to why each spice is called for here, and some additional ways to put them to good use.

Smoked Paprika

This is where the whole faux smoker comes in. This smoked paprika is the real workhorse ingredient here, as it carries that very necessary smoky flavor we’re looking for, essentially giving us the right to call this “smoky Texas-style brisket.” I think you could also use chipotle powder in this rub, both in addition to or instead of the smoked paprika. This would really make for a spicy blend which, if you’re anything like me, is a very welcome thing in a BBQ spread.

Chili Powder

You can use any chili powder that you like here. I have a jar of ancho chili powder that I really love, and I reach for it quite often when creating spice blends for meat-based recipes like this one. But your standard-op, basic “chili powder” works great as well. It will provide nice color and an earthy, roasted chili flavor to the crust.

Garlic Powder:

Is this my most used spice? Yes, I think it actually is come to think of it. It offers a type of garlic flavor that is a bit different than what you’ll conjure out of some fresh cloves, which is nice. I often use the two together in recipes, so we really each the full spectrum of garlicky goodness. But here, it will blend seamlessly with the other ground spices, and unlike fresh garlic – it won’t burn.

Onion Powder:

The allium queen, the humble onion, comes is a handy powdered form that tends to make everything it touches just a little bit better. It works in tandem here with the garlic powder, rounding out the earthy flavors of the chili powder and paprika, and creating a tasty concoction that can elevate everything from ribs and brisket to burgers, tacos, and even chili.

Brown Sugar:

The brown sugar in this spice rub serves a few roles, really. It really helps the texture of the crust, what with those crunchy granules just coating the whole situation in the most delicious way. Furthermore, it also helps with caramelization, the browning reaction that results from the oxidation of sugar. Now, scientific descriptions of food never really elicit much drooling, I know this.

But it’s nice to know what’s going on when we’re cooking, you know? The “why’s” behind the deliciousness of it all can actually lead to better cooking, as you become more familiar with the ingredients you use. So, anyway. Caramelization is one of the more delicious reactions, and what it does to a humble brisket is nothing short of tear-jerking.

What sauce goes best on oven-roasted brisket?

The short answer to this very fair question is, “whatever sauce you want.” Or, no sauce, if you’re a brisket purist. This stuff is so good that you really can get away with not serving a sauce with it. the. rubis very flavorful, and provides quite enough in that department. It holds its own to be sure.

But frankly, I can’t not serve sauce with just about everything that leaves my kitchen, and brisket is no exception. I do not live in Texas (I live in Portland, OR), so I feel okay with being weird and serving this with my actual favorite BBQ sauce – Carolina Gold.

This mustardy, slightly sweet nectar-of-the-Gods is honestly great on any and EVERY thing. But the acidity from the vinegar and mustard helps to balance the fatty richness from the meat. So, I suppose we could call the final results here a “Tex-olina” brisket plate. Yes? No? Okay, maybe no.

But if you prefer to stick with a more sweet, thick Memphis style sauce, that would be great, too. Or maybe an Alabama white? That’d be something else. Or, my other favorite – the Eastern North Carolina vinegar based sauce that is so good it might make you cry. Just saying – proceed with caution there.

For my favorite, South Carolina style BBQ sauce you’ll need:

• 1.5 cups yellow mustard
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 1.5 tablespoon ketchup
• Pinch cayenne
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

How do you make Texas-style brisket in the oven?

This method for making an incredibly delicious Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket is fool-proof and fail-proof – it’s unbelievably delicious and a great way to enjoy succulent beef BBQ at home, without a smoker. We’ll make a tasty, smoky spice blend and create a flavorful crust that is downright addictive. Set it. Forget it. Then remember it, and devour it.

That’s all there is to this incredible oven-roasted beef brisket.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the bottom third of the oven.

Place the brisket in a roasting pan, fatty side facing up. Combine the spices in a bowl, from the salt to the cocoa powder. Cover the brisket on both sides with the mixture (I do a much thicker crust/coating on the top side, though). Roast for one hour, uncovered.

After an hour, pour enough of the beef stock into the pan to reach a depth of about ½ inch. Cover the pan tightly with foil and put back in the oven to roast for 3.5 more hours. It will be fine after three hours, but that extra 30 minutes really seals the deal. 

Allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes before slicing or chopping, and serve with lots of the pan juices and drippings poured all over (liquid gold). Serve simply with bread or buns and the BBQ sauce, or with a whole mess of fixins. Enjoy. 

To make my favorite Carolina Gold Style BBQ Sauce:

Combine all ingredients (listed above) in a medium saucepan set over med-low to medium heat. Allow the sauce to simmer and reduce for half an hour, until slightly thickened. Cool to room temperature before storing. 

If you like the looks of this Texas Style Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket, you might want to check out:

Coconut Red Curry Drip Beef

Spicy Mississippi Pot Roast

Cook-off Winning Texas-Style Chili

Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon

Thai Beef with Basil (Pad Krapow)

Bulgogi Beef Meatballs with Roasted Carrots

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